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Stage Set for Passing
Postal Reform Legislation
(This article was first published in the July/August 2004 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)
The current battle over postal "reform" has now entered a critical stage, as legislation recently approved by key congressional committees now awaits passage by the full House and Senate. Lawmakers in both chambers have rejected - at least for now - most anti-worker proposals made by the President's Commission on the Postal Service, but our struggle is far from over.
What remains to be seen as we go to press is whether Congress will complete action on a postal reform bill this year, and how the legislation might be shaped by amendments on the floor of either chamber.
Union Victory on Worksharing Discounts
In the Senate, postal workers, consumers and small businesses won an important victory on June 2, when the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee narrowly approved an amendment offered by Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) to limit excessive "worksharing" discounts, which drain much-needed revenue from the Postal Service. Panel members voted 9-8 in favor of the amendment before unanimously approving the Senate version of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (S. 2468).
"Under my amendment," Lieberman told his fellow senators, "mailers won't be forced to pay higher rates to make up for revenue losses and the Postal Service can maintain fair and non-discriminatory rates for each type of mail it handles. Furthermore, discounts equal to or less than Postal Service savings [from processing pre-sorted mail] mean postal jobs will not be lost to mailers who are performing work that postal employees can do for less."
Our hats are off to Sen. Lieberman for addressing the concerns raised by the APWU, the Mail Handlers Union and consumer organizations. We also thank Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) for crossing party lines to cast the deciding vote - and all the Pennsylvania APWU members who acted on President Burrus' letter asking them to call Sen. Specter's office before the vote!
Senate Government Affairs Committee Vote to Limit Excessive Worksharing Discounts for Corporate Mailers
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AGAINST |
"If postal reform legislation passes this year, it will have the strong imprint of the American Postal Workers Union," APWU President William Burrus said after the vote. "We have worked long and hard to expose these unjustified giveaways to corporate mailers, as well as to defeat the Commission's anti-worker and anti-consumer proposals. We are pleased that the committee stood up for the best interests of postal workers, the Postal Service, and the American people."
However, as President Burrus cautioned, the union remains concerned about provisions of the Senate bill that would reduce postal employees' workers compensation benefits and exempt them from certain job-related injury protections enjoyed by all other federal employees.
The House Government Reform Committee unanimously passed its version of the legislation on May 17 (H.R. 4341). The House bill would not change workers compensation benefits, and it contains a similar provision barring excessive worksharing discounts. For these reasons, the union is urging Congress to adopt the House version of the bill.
Prospects for Action
The House was tentatively scheduled to consider postal reform legislation during the last week of June. However, as we go to press, it appears action on the bill will likely be postponed until after Congress returns from its 4th of July recess.
Congress is also scheduled to be in recess from July 26 to Sept. 3, so if action is not completed in July, postal reform legislation faces the additional hurdle of vying for lawmakers' attention between Labor Day and early October, when Congress adjourns for the November elections.
In the House, the powerful Rules Committee decides the ground rules for debating and amending legislation, including the amount of time allotted for debate and which, if any, amendments maybe considered.
It is important that the Rules Committee shield the bill from amendments that could undermine the delicate negotiations that led to Government Reform Committee's unanimous approval. With nine Republicans and only four Democrats, the committee seldom issues rules that go against the wishes of other committee chairmen and the House GOP leadership.
In the Senate, the postal reform bill is subject to virtually any amendment a member wishes to offer. Any senator could force votes to alter the legislation in any way. The Senate has yet to schedule debate on the bill, but there is widespread speculation that it will not act until September, leaving little time for final approval.
If both the House and Senate pass postal legislation, party leaders will appoint "conferees" from both chambers to resolve differences between the two bills. Provisions not previously approved by either chamber cannot be added to the bill, and the final version that emerges from the conference cannot be amended by either chamber. The full House and Senate would then have to vote up or down on the "conference report." The final version of the bill would be sent to the president to sign or veto the bill.
The End Game
The Bush Administration has signaled its opposition because both bills would transfer the cost of postal employees' military service related retirement benefits from the USPS back to the Treasury Department. Under federal budget accounting rules, those costs would increase the deficit. For the same reason, the Administration also opposes releasing from an escrow account billions of dollars in USPS overpayments to the Civil Service Retirement System. Congress, labor, consumers, and the mailing industry want to free the Postal Service these financial handicaps, but it is presently unclear whether the Administration would veto postal reform over these issues. If postal reform legislation is not enacted this year, the entire process starts over next year, and the Commission's anti-worker proposals could be back on the table.
Remain Vigilant
As you can see, our fight is far from over. While we support the bill approved by the House Government Reform Committee, we must prevent the workers compensation cuts in the Senate bill from being adopted. In the crucial months ahead, we must also keep our position clear on corporate subsidies and continue to work with our friends in both chambers to protect the jobs and rights of APWU members. Stay tuned to APWU News Service Bulletins and the union's Web site, www.apwu.org, for breaking developments.
ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE
AND POLITICAL DEPARTMENT
Myke Reid, Director
(202) 842-4210
The Legislative and Political Department helps advance the union's cause on Capitol Hill and keeps the APWU members informed about important issues and legislative developments. Working with the union's president, we are the APWU's eyes, ears, and voice in Washington, DC.
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